The ruling also confirms the indictement of Raúl Granillo Ocampo

Tuesday, December 22, 2009

Menem, Cavallo indicted in overpayment case

Former president Carlos Menem, former Economy Minister Domingo Cavallo and former Environmental Secretary Maria Julia Alsogaray have come one step closer to trial after the Federal Court confirmed their indictements for an overpayment case.

The ruling also confirms the indictement of Raúl Granillo Ocampo for being co-plaintiff in stealing public funds by a public official, along with other lower ranking public officials accused of participating in the theft.

Menem is currently being tried for weapon smuggling to Ecuador and Croatia, while Maria Julia Alsogaray has already been convicted for embezzlement and has lost her petit hotel located in the Recoleta neighbourhood.

They are all accused of being accomplices: Cavallo for being an advisor to Menem and tellim him how the overpayments should be declared, Granillo, for signing norms that made possible rerouting of the money, and Alsogaray for handing out part of the money. If found guilty, the could face from two to ten years in prison and become ilegible for public office.

The first one to admit the illegal use of public funds, was Alsogaray while she was being tried for embezzlement for what she was convicted. She said she used to hold some 10.000 pesos a month to justify her income and former president Menem knew about this.

"Through these tactics various amounts of money originally assigned to public funds ended up in the hands of public officials: Ministers, State secretaries and Deputy secretaries", the court ruling says.

"It's been proven that during the last two Menem administrations this practice was concocted, executed and developed", said federal judge Marcelo Martínez de Giorgi whose court ruling was ratified today by the Federal Court.